Weigh the benefits of football

I am 72 years old. I played four years of high school and five years of college football. I have had a number of concussions, but see no lasting effects. I am not anxious, depressed or mentally diminished. I do not know of anyone who I played with either in high school or college that is. Our helmets were not nearly as protective as those used today and concussion awareness and safety is outstanding.

Football today is under attack. I get it that Shawn Vestal and many others do not like the game (“The danger of football is clear, but we’re nowhere near facing it,” July 1, 2018), and they are buoyed by lawsuits and those seeing monetary rewards. I don’t deny that CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is real and has had devastating effects on some. What I would like to see is some data that would compare the presence of CTE in the thousands of men my age who played football compared to the general population of men that age. That comparison, and others spaced over various years, would be more informative than the high profile cases often cited.

Football is a great game and the value that it provides those who are involved must be weighed when banning arguments are presented.

Jeff Reyburn

Spokane